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Re: Insurance woes
You know something...fuck the insurance companies...don't let them throw their weight around. And I
agree totally with Brad's approach...absolutely definitely.
Firstly, get the car in your possession and then fight with them to get the 'appropriate' value for the
vehicle. Be firm and be strong. I don't work for an insurance company but we constantly squabble with
them and I would love for them to one day take that position on a property damage claim with me.
Julie, submit your receipts for work done to your vehicle and check in your insurance policy as to what
the Insurers are obligated to pay...like, are they obligated to pay market value for the vehicle or
what? I'm not sure what kind of rules/laws/whatever applies in your area but I can't see it being any
more different than in Canada.
In the end, look at what would hold water in a court room. Evidence is the most important thing and if
you need to sue the insurers, then do so and get them to pay for your court costs. Insurance companies
set reserves for claims and they try to settle as low as possible (incentive for reps to make more
money). So stick your ground and get what is a fair value for your vehicle.
I wish that I could offer my expertise but unfortunately, I don't live down in yer area...sorry.
HTH
Sal Guzzo
- Fear is your only god.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad Sterling" <bgsterling@bluebottle.com>
To: "Julie Macfarlane" <juliemac57@hotmail.com>; <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 5:39 PM
Subject: RE: Insurance woes
<snip Julie>
> > I have been offered $750.00 for my car and I can keep the car. Daun says
>I
> > should hold out. How much should I be asking for?
> >
> > I got a quote for the frame pull... $200. I do all the other work with
>the
> > fenders etc...
<end snip>
A couple things to keep in mind:
- It's still your car
- Their guy is still at fault
- They are not all powerful (see point #1)
- Their goals are to satisfy you (within reason) enough to keep you from
taking them to court and spending as little as possible
With all that in mind, if you're not satisfied, don't take the check. Do
some homework before you call them back. Try to find cars similar to yours
and demonstrate with newspaper clippings and online classified ads what a
car like yours goes for on the open market. Detail all of the mods that
have been done to the car. Scour the police report to make sure there
aren't any inaccuracies (that helped me out once). Then, when you're good
and ready to demonstrate the real value of the car (not the blue book
value), call the insurance company back. Explain what you've found and let
them know that $750 won't do it. Be calm, approachable, and patient. In
other words, don't swear at the insurance guy until after you've hung up the
phone. It won't be fun, easy or quick, but I think you'll have decent
results in the end. Sorry for the hard times and good luck.
-Brad
'86 Scirocco 16v
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